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    Misconceptions About Einstein

    Uploaded by

    Dellmanns
    Resnick

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    2009 In 1979 there were celebrations amongst scientists of the 100th anniversary of Einsteins’ birth. Conferences were held in cities around the world, including, for example, Jerusalem and Paris. In Washington, the National Academy of Science sponsored such a conference. Giving talks there were eight scientists including several Nobel Prize winners, some associates of Einstein and a few relevant educators. | was one and | felt overmatched. However, at the end, the planning committee chose just two papers to be published and mine was one. That paper, réprinted in 1980 is included here Robert Resnick Here are a few supplementary comments on the Einstein article. Einstein started violin practice as a youngster when he fell in love with Mozarts’ pieces. He became proficient, reaching semi-professional level, playing often in chamber groups. In one performance he came in late in playing the notes of the piece and the cellist said to him " Einstein-the trouble with you is you can't count!" He played publicly to help raise funds for causes he supported. Einsteins’ early major groundbreaking scientific papers were published in 1905 but the Nobel prize wasn't awarded him until 1921. He was nominated each year but voted down by the granting committee until it could no longer be withheld because subsequent awards were based on his discoveries. There were some feelings that anti-semitism was at work (but Michelson, an earlier awardee, was also Jewish). Internally it was reported that one committee member said " What would the world think of us if we never awarded Einstein the prize?" Instead of relativity, the committee awarded the prize for his explaining the photoelectric effect (he considered the introduction of the photon as his most revolutionary proposal) Michelson immigrated to the U.S from Eastern Europe, his family settling in Nevada. President Grant appointed him for admission to the Naval Academy, where the Physics building is now Michelson Hall. He invented the interferometer, an extremely precision instrument, with which he carried out historic experiments that (contrary to his expectations) contradicted classical ideas. To his dying day he never accepted relativity theory. In the photo of Einsteins’ greeting in New York, clipped out was Chaim Weizmann in the following car. Weizmann was a prominent British chemist who persuaded Einstein to come to America to help raise funds for the establishment of a Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In the ship coming over the Atlantic, Einstein repeatedly explained his newly proposed General Theory of Relativity to Weizman, who said on arrival in NY, "I think he finally understood it." Weizmann later became the first president of Israel and is credited with persuading U.S. President Truman to grant U.S. recognition to the new state. Years later, David Ben Gurion, as retiring President of Israel, asked his U.S ambassador, Abba Eban, to offer the Israeli presidency to Einstein-the worlds’ most famous Jew. Eban wired Ben-Gurion " What should we do if he accepts"? Einstein was not aware of the Manhattan project to create an atomic bomb. He was excluded from any association with or information about the program because of his known pacifism and ‘socialist’ ideas. To show that the left hand did not know what the right was doing, the U.S. Navy invited Einstein (he accepted) to work on underwater explosives. Friday, February 19, 2010 AOL: Resnir Robert Resnick Department of Physics Rensselaer Poytecinic intitute ‘Troy, NY 12181 His Lhe Bonet ‘When I was a college student inthe early forties, many of ‘my neighbors, and friends of the family, would ask me “What are you studying to be?” “A physicist,"I'd reply; “I'm studying physics.” “What's that?” was the retort, invariably. I sensed ‘that most of my explanations seemed vague and unsatisfactory to them so that I groped for a simplo answer. Finally I got it. “It’s what instein does,” I'd say. “Oh!” would be the reply, and that always ended the discussion. Of course, none of the questioner really knew what Einstein did, but my name- dropping impressed them, and no one would ever admit to me their ignorance about that famous human being. ‘So here I am, nearly 40 years later, participating ina sym- posium honoring Kinstein, to try to clear up some miscon- ‘ceptions about that man, his work and his ideas—miscon- ceptions that many of ws, mpelf included at tins, have ‘Einstein was one of the heroes of my youth. Later I fell in love with the beauty of relativity theory. As a teacher of physics I have written about that subject, but Thave not done basic research in it nor did I know Einstein personally. So T cdo not regard myself as a special authority on him or his work. Like Einstein, however, I share a skepticism of declared au- thority, which is best conveyed by a story [heard from William Fowler of Cal Tech. It seems he cut his thumb badly and hed to wear a heavy bandage on it, Despairing of that nuisance he went to the doctor days later and asked “Can’tI get rid of this bandage?” After looking atthe healing thumb, the doctor said “Okay, but I want you to immerse your thumb in cold water several times a day.” “Cold water?” said Fowler “my mother always told me to dunk in warm water.” “Well,” said the doctor, “your mother is wrong. My mother said to use cold water.” ‘Now, what are some of these misconceptions? The list is long, and my distinguished colleagues on this panel could probably add many to my list. Indeed, I have pared my list drastically to accommodate the time. Let me cite two exam- ples briefly to make a point about these o called misconcep- tions. (1) Binstein was a math wizard. Actually he chose physics over mathematics because, asa student, he saw no unity inthe range of mathematical areas but had great phys- ical intuition, and he turned to many others subsequently for direction and assistance in mathematics throughout his career. Indeed, he once commented somewhat. facetously, that he did not recognize his own relativity theory after the mathemati- cians were finished with it. (2) Einstein was politically naive and ready to sign any petition. Actually there was a consis- tency in his actions during his entire lifetime. Ho refused to ign, support, or act on a great many requests that violated ‘that consistency. There are more misconceptions that I must ignore here, but these will suffice to make the point that, al- though each of the misconceptions have some basis in fact, there is usually another side to the story. The truth is mostly on that other side or else is not properly understood without ‘alook at both sides. Hence, I aim at a balanced view. Coming "have learned much from the writings of historians of science, such ae Martin Klein and Gerald Holton, and from friends and ast lates of Einstein, such as Banesch Hoffinan and Philip Franck but ‘mostly from the writings of Kinstein himself 1884 / Joural of Chemica! Edveation Misconceptions about Einstein work and his views tounderstand many things in lfescience included —involves, this philosophic path of thesis, antithesis, and synth« Now let us turn to other misconceptions which I will treat at greater length. First Misconeoption: Einstein won the Nobel Prize for his theory of relativity. Actually, the citation reads “for his services to theoretical physics and in particular for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.” Moreover, itis significant that relativity ioned i tion even ’s fame as a physicist surely rested on his special and general theory of relativity. ‘Now, the usual explanation ofall this is that, in his will, Alfred Nobel had stipulated that the prize should be awards for a recent discovery in physics from which mankind had derived great benefit and that there was doubt whether a theory, no matter how important, could qualify. However, the law of the photoelectric effect was only one prediction of an- other thedry of Einstein's, the quantum theory of light. In instein’s quantum theory, though, “facts were discov- cered”—that is, statements were made from which observable phenomena could be deduced directly. OF course, one could argue the same forthe theory of relativity except that the train ‘of reasoning in the case of some “facts discovered” from rel- tivity might be considered less direct. ‘The truth is, as observers atthe time and since have pointed ‘out, that relativity was then regarded as very controversial, both scientifically and politcaly. It had been widely attacked and was not exactly easy to understand, and the Swedish Robert Resnick is Professor of Physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: He is « groduate of The Johns Hopkins University where he farmed his AB and PRD degrees, He ‘was previously on the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, where he received the Esso Foundation Award {or outstanding teaching and general ‘merit. He isa fellow ofthe American Physical Society and was awarded the Oersted Medel by the American Association of Physics ‘Teachers, its highest honor. Sine 1975 he has occupied the chair of Hamilton Distinguished Profesor of Science Educe tion at RPL A Tender in educational research and developraent ‘and cuticular reform in physics, eis the author or co-author ‘fsoven diferent physic textbooks. With David Halliday, Dr. Resnick haa writen the most widely used introductory physics textbook inthe world ‘Thisarticleis taken from Dr. Resnik’s presentation atthe Einstein Symposium sponsored hy the Division of Chemical ‘Education and Ube American Chemical Society and held at 178th National ACS in in Septem ‘Another paper from the Symposium was feeue [Bont Henry A, “Binsein and Chemical Thought" CHEM. EDUC, 81, 596 (1980). Fig 1. Eston ae Boe, woof he gas of physi who wee Wen and famwers of one aroher, mn 2 Gwecersic crcunetance—

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